On the one hand, Christ is in us; on the other hand, we are in Christ. Consider the air in the atmosphere as an illustration. We are in the air, and the air is in us. Both are necessary if we are to remain alive. Today the processed Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit is our air. This air is in us, and we are in this air and even walk in this air. Moreover, we can be people according to this air who grow in this air with the growth of God. The all-inclusive Christ is, therefore, the experiential Christ. He is a Christ who can be in us, and a Christ in whom we can walk. We can live, walk, move, and have our being in Him.
In all that we do, we should be according to Christ. We should not be according to philosophy, ethics, culture, or religion. We should not in any way be according to the old man. Rather, we are here to be according to the processed, all-inclusive life-giving Triune God. This, however, should not be a mere doctrine. For example, a brother should not deal with his wife according to culture; he should deal with her according to Christ, according to the processed Triune God.
If we would live, behave, and have our being according to the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God, we would all be like Paul the apostle. Paul became a person who was not according to his forefathers, the law, tradition, Judaism, or the teaching of Gamaliel. He became a person who was absolutely according to the processed Triune God. His Epistles were written not according to anything other than the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God. How different are Paul’s writings from today’s Christian writings!
Our daily walk should be according to the processed Triune God. For example, when a brother gets a haircut, he should do so not according to any particular standard, but according to the processed Triune God.
Do you know where the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God is today? He is in our spirit. In our spirit He is the all-inclusive One, the life-giving One. In our spirit He is the processed Triune God. If we live according to the processed Triune God in our spirit, every type of culture will be gone. Only the all-inclusive life-giving Triune God will remain. The Christian life and the church life are without culture, but according to the processed Triune God. If we live according to the processed Triune God, there will be no need for us to try to drop our culture. Culture will be gone automatically.
With the all-inclusive life-giving Triune God we have the experience of dying with Christ and of being made alive together with Him. Here we experience being members of the Body, living in oneness with Him and holding Him as the One out from whom we receive the supply to grow with the growth of God. This is the Christian life and the church life. This is the life that overcomes sin and that brings us the reality of holiness, spirituality, and victory. Here we have all we need: patience, humility, righteousness, love, kindness, holiness, life, light, power, strength, might, and every other positive thing. All the divine attributes and all the human virtues are in this life. Christ as the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God is everything to us. When we have Him and live according to Him, we do not need regulations. We have the extensive Christ who, in our experience, is everything to us.
Turning now to Paul’s words of warning, we see that in 2:4 he indicates that we should take heed that no one delude us with persuasive speech. What a tragedy and a pity that among today’s Christians so many have itching ears! They have the appetite to listen to eloquent speech and persuasive words. But if we truly experience Christ, we shall have no interest in such speech. On the contrary, we shall find sugar-coated messages very unpleasant. In the church life we care only for Christ, not for persuasive speech.
In 2:8 Paul says, “Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit.” We should not allow anyone to carry us off as spoil through philosophy. We should care not for theory or philosophical thought, but for the all-inclusive Christ.
In 2:16 Paul tells us to let no one judge us “in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of Sabbaths.” If we are those who are filled with the all-inclusive Christ, we shall not give ground for others to judge us. However, if we insist on particular or peculiar practices, we shall be criticized. If we are occupied with Christ and not particular in other matters, others will have no reason to judge us. In the churches we should all be common; no one should be particular. This means that we should not care for anything in place of Christ.
A certain brother in the church may be very good; however, because of the influence of his self-made culture, he may also be rather peculiar. If this brother would truly walk in Christ and have his being according to Christ, he would not be peculiar. Instead, he would be common, ordinary. All the saints in the church should be constituted with Christ. If this is the situation, then we shall meet Christ when we contact them. In each one there will be the expression of Christ. This is possible only when we are the same with respect to caring only for Christ and are no longer peculiar or particular concerning other things.
Many saints love the Lord Jesus and the church, but because they are so peculiar in their being, it is difficult for others to bear them. The church life is frustrated and even damaged by those who insist on their peculiar opinions, opinions that are according to their culture. This exposes the fact that they are short of Christ.
However, I have the assurance that what the Lord has been speaking to us about culture is not in vain. I believe that what He has spoken will bring us into the experience of Christ. Eventually, all the peculiarities will disappear, and only Christ will remain. Oh, let us grow in Christ until we become full-grown in Him! Let us also walk in Him, having our being in Him and realizing that we have died with Him and are now alive together with Him. Let us also be one with our Head, out from whom we receive the supply to be knit together and to grow with the growth of God. God’s goal is that we have such a Christian life and church life. I believe that before long such a wonderful situation will be expressed on earth.
Paul’s last warning is that we should let no one purposely defraud us of our prize. The prize is the full experience and enjoyment of Christ. Any kind of culture, religion, opinion, or peculiar teaching can defraud us of this prize. We should stay with the experience of Christ so that we may have the full enjoyment of Him, not caring for any religious or ethical practices.